A NEW BROOM SWEEPS CLEAN: THE ECONOMIC AND CULTURAL VALUE OF GRASS BROOMS IN THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE, SOUTH AFRICA

ABSTRACT

In southern Africa over the last twenty years, much attention has been given to the importance of NTFPs for rural livelihoods through their household consumption and sale. They have been classified as having either subsistence consumption or commercial values. These values are mostly related to their utilitarian functions, but recent studies show that NTFPs also hold strong cultural functions. Such cultural functions can play a role in both rural and urban livelihoods; consequently the values of NTFPs may be related to both utilitarian and cultural functions. This paper demonstrates the cultural functions of grass brooms in urban areas in South Africa and the impact of their trade on income generation in rural areas, and discusses the concept of culture as a significant factor in the understanding of the role of NTFPs in livelihoods, and their values.

Keywords:

• Non-timber forest products (NTFPs)
• utilitarian and cultural values
• Xhosa people